Nervous newbie

Nathanielwg

New Recruit
Driver
Hello I am an extremely nervous newbie and i was hoping to have a couple of questions answered. Quick back ground I am out of Houston and have had my class b cdl for about 6 years however it has been used for passenger transport up until January of this year. I decided that I wanted to give the straight truck otr experience a try so I have signed on with an owner that contracts through panther premium Logistics. I will initially be going out solo for about a month or so until my brother finishes with getting his cdl. The owner I will be working for is doing a 60/40 split with me. My question or questions are 1: is the 60/40 split good or bad? Will I make more on 60/40 split or less? 2: is solo expediting difficult to make money at? 3: I will be paid through a com data card will it be hard to get my money into my bank account from it? 4: this may sound silly but how does it work at truck stops( do you pay for a spot? Where do I wash clothes? How do I get showers?)

I am single with less than $1000 monthly expenses but I have spent the last 10 years as a teacher so this will be a big change. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
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Ragman

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Welcome.... 60/40 is pretty much the standard split in this industry. The party getting the 60 is responsible for paying the fuel cost. This said, they also get 100% of any fuel surcharge. Make sure you have this in your contract (you do have a contract, dont you?).
 
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TeamPaul

Expert Expediter
Researching
Regarding showers; get the reward cards from the various trucks stops; Loves, Flying J etc. Each time you purchase fuel you will earn points to use towards showers and food etc. The more you buy in a month, the better your standing with that certain company which open even more perks (free coffee etc) When I drove, our company required that we use Loves exclusively, so I became a platinum member in no time, and got all of my showers and coffee for free, all while saving points for food from the in-house fast food establishments.

With a straight truck, I would hope you could find spots that you do not have to pay to park...
 
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RoadTime

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Thanks for the advice! I got my rewards card from pilot flying j yesterday and there do seem to be alot of perks.

If you haven't already, down load their App. You can reserve your shower and know when it's ready (or how long the wait may be) without having to wait around in the store. Also you can check your points and see any free or discounted item specials they are offering.


Sent from my iPhone using EO Forums
 
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Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
If the gross load pays $600, does the company get 1/3 of that before paying the van owner?
That's pretty close. Each carrier is different, but I think the most common is about 62% paid out to the truck owner. Some pay a little less than that, some a little more. The carrier's cut pays for, of course, obtaining the load, running the load under carrier authority, liability insurance, and getting payment for the load.
 
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